Getting to know Geovanni

Let the era of Geovanni begin in San Jose. The Brazilian midfielder became the first-ever designated player in Earthquakes history on Monday after agreeing to terms at team headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.

Geovanni comes to the Earthquakes after two seasons with Hull City of the English Premier League. Geovanni scored 13 goals in 65 appearances and provided a number of memorable moments while with the Tigers.

During his run at Hull City, Geovanni became known as a player who could provide the clutch scoring chance. The Brazilian showed fans his worth by scoring the club’s first goal in the Premiership against Fulham on August 16, 2008. He tallied an equalizer against Arsenal with a 30-yard strike on September 27, 2008 and had another crucial goal one week later, a 30-yard free kick to send the Tigers over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

In 2009, Geovanni started the Premiership with four goals in seven matches and ended with a team-high eight on the season.

Prior to joining Hull, Geovanni played with Manchester City in 2007-08. He made 23 appearances and scored three goals for the Blues. Geovanni also earned praise from fans after netting the lone goal in a derby win over Manchester United in August of 2007.

Before Manchester City came a four-season stint with Benfica of the Portuguese Liga. His stay with Benfica began as a loan from FC Barcelona in 2003. Benfica liked what they saw and signed Geovanni to a contract, one that would produce 94 appearances and 17 goals. Geovanni played a key role in the club’s Portuguese Cup win in 2004 and the Portuguese Liga title in 2005. He was named Benfica Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

Geovanni got his first taste of European soccer with made FC Barcelona in 2001. Geovanni made 26 appearances and scored twice for the Spanish side between 2001-2003.

Geovanni ‘s career began in Brazil with Cruzeiro in 1997. From 1997 until 2001, Geovanni scored 12 goals in 46 appearances for Cruzeiro. Geovanni returned to to his original club for one season in 2006 following his time with Benfica and appeared in 14 matches. In 1999, Geovanni was a teammate of current Quakes midfielder Andre Luiz for the Belo Horizonte club.

In 1998 Geovanni was loaned to América in Brazil where he netted one goal in 15 appearances.

Geovanni was a member of the Brazilian National Team for the 2000 Olympics and the 2001 Copa America. His lone international goal came against Bolivia in a friendly in 2003.